Editors move to establish fact-check desks to combat fake news
Nigerian editors have resolved to set up fact-check desks in their respective newsrooms as part of ongoing efforts to tackle the growing challenge of fake news, misinformation, and disinformation. This decision was reached during a one-day workshop held in Lagos on Thursday, organised by the European Union (EU) in partnership with the Nigerian Guild of […]
Nigerian editors have resolved to set up fact-check desks in their respective newsrooms as part of ongoing efforts to tackle the growing challenge of fake news, misinformation, and disinformation.
This decision was reached during a one-day workshop held in Lagos on Thursday, organised by the European Union (EU) in partnership with the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).
Speaking at the workshop, the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Gautier Mignot and the NGE President, Mr. Eze Anaba stressed the need for newsroom managers to acquire the skills and tools for fact-checking to arrest fake news, misinformation, and disinformation.
Mignot said that the EU has deployed a multi-pronged approach to address the threats posed by misleading information, which he described as a “danger to democracy and public trust.”
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“The European Union is actively working to combat disinformation and promote media literacy, with fact-checking playing a crucial role in these efforts.
“Our choice of collaborating with the Nigerian Guild of Editors on this programme is part and parcel of this general effort.
“We recognise the critical role of editors as the last line in the gatekeeping process. The editor is ultimately responsible for what is pushed into the public space as content,” he said.
The EU ambassador warned that the spread of misleading information posed a threat to democratic governance and public trust.
The NGE President expressed hope that the gathering would serve as a platform for building collective capacity to identify and combat false narratives.
“It is our hope that through informed discussions and shared insights, we will strengthen our individual and institutional capacities to identify, counter, and prevent the spread of false narratives,” Anaba said.